Den Koopman

During my researches in the Leviathanic histories, I stumbled upon an ancient Dutch volume, which, by the musty whaling smell of it, I knew must be about whalers. The title was, “Dan Coopman,” wherefore I concluded that this must be the invaluable memoirs of some Amsterdam cooper in the fishery, as every whale ship must carry its cooper. I was reinforced in this opinion by seeing that it was the production of one “Fitz Swackhammer.” But my friend Dr. Snodhead, a very learned man, professor of Low Dutch and High German in the college of Santa Claus and St. Pott’s, to whom I handed the work for translation, giving him a box of sperm candles for his trouble—this same Dr. Snodhead, so soon as he spied the book, assured me that “Dan Coopman” did not mean “The Cooper,” but “The Merchant.” In short, this ancient and learned Low Dutch book treated of the commerce of Holland; and, among other subjects, contained a very interesting account of its whale fishery. 

-- Moby-Dick or The Whale Chapter 101 The Decanter 

William Scoresby, An Account of the Arctic Regions Volume 2

"I am only in a mood; buoyant and bitter; tameless as the Arab coursing his native desert; free as yonder soaring eagle! it's this wild mountain air! Let us have a fling at the world, — the poor dollar-dealing sinners, cooped up in their great dens — " 

--Scenes and Adventures in the Army

This view of "the world" as a collection of "dollar-dealing sinners, cooped up in their great dens" was added in revision of the August 1852 installment of Scenes Beyond the Western Border.

Flings at the world

I would rather feel your spine than your skull, whoever you are. A thin joist of a spine never yet upheld a full and noble soul. I rejoice in my spine, as in the firm audacious staff of that flag which I fling half out to the world. --Moby-Dick, chapter 80 - The Nut 

Friend. — You are a monomaniac, by Jove! incapable of argument, or even conversation. 

" I detest argument! it is the favorite resort of fools, to convince — themselves."

"I am only in a mood; buoyant and bitter; tameless as the Arab coursing his native desert; free as yonder soaring eagle! it's this wild mountain air ! Let us have a fling at the world, — the poor dollar-dealing sinners, cooped up in their great dens — " 

Friend. — But you began by a fling at me —

"Only a love tap, Friend; my way of argument. Let us with the desert's freedom joyously flout convention and opinion—upstart usurpers!—let us make mocking sport of the prosaic solemnity of ignorant prejudice;—let us shoot popguns, at least, against the solid bulwarks where folly and selfishness sit enthroned!"

Friend.—Then fire away—though hang me if I know what you would be at. "
-- Scenes and Adventures in the Army page 355.

The narrator's "fling at the world" was added in revision of the dialogue between C. and F. (for "Frank,"  the Captain's imaginary friend) that had been printed in the August 1852 installment of Scenes Beyond the Western Border:

F.  "When I have you committed, fairly pinned in contradiction, you fly off into a maze of extravagant fancies, where I should be lost as well if I followed." 

C. "And get the best of it! Ah! my good friend, let this wild mountain air have fair play; let us with the desert's freedom joyously flout convention and opinion—upstart usurpers—let us make mocking sport of the prosaic solemnity of ignorant prejudice;—let us shoot popguns at least, against the solid bulwarks where folly and selfishness sit enthroned!"

F. "Then fire away!—though hang me if I know what you mean."

-- Scenes Beyond the Western Border, August 1852

Real and unreal

Here again we find not only the same language but also--and more amazingly--the same context: more writing about writing, a metafictional debate with an imaginary critic of the narrative in progress.

I read to him my day’s experiences.  He listened impatiently; and at last broke out—

“You are incorrigible!  Do you call that abstraction, the real?”   

--Scenes Beyond the Western Border, August 1853; and
Scenes and Adventures in the Army (1857)

... a reply must in civility be made to a certain voice which methinks I hear, that, in view of past chapters, and more particularly the last, where certain antics appear, exclaims: "How unreal all this is!"  --The Confidence-Man (1857)

Did I say "metafictional"? Maurice S. Lee's word "metacritical" is good, too--maybe better since we're talking about ongoing criticism and criticism of criticism in supposed non-fiction, a military memoir.

--Maurice S. Lee on Skepticism and The Confidence-Man, from The New Cambridge Companion to Herman Melville

"... The Confidence-Man with its metacritical asides purposefully punctures verisimilitude."

Scenes Beyond the Western Border
Southern Literary Messenger 19 (August 1853)